Chapter 436: A World Full of Malice (Two)
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Fu Mingzheng cunningly asked back, “And how did Your Highness know that the Great Empress Dowager was seriously ill? I don’t remember telling you.” You have your sources, and I have mine. Let’s not delve into it further.
The two of them glared at each other, feeling that the other was extremely annoying. Yuwen Chu gritted his teeth, “Am I so unbearable in your eyes?”
Fu Mingzheng pretended to be confused, “Your Highness, what are you saying? I don’t understand.”
Yuwen Chu was so angry that he shook his sleeves and turned to leave. Jiang Shanshan suddenly died. Although he didn’t know if what she said was true, he had to hurry back to make arrangements.
Fu Mingzheng smiled, picked up the clothes of the person lying at his feet to wipe the knife in his hand, and accidentally touched a pair of cotton shoes. He paused for a moment, quickly got up, and chased after Yuwen Chu, “Quickly gather people and surround this area!”
Yuwen Chu noticed his unusual expression and immediately felt a sense of alarm. He hastily whispered a few words to someone in the dark before turning back to ask, “What’s going on?”
Fu Mingzheng gestured for him to follow and led him back. The dim light of a torch illuminated the small side room of Suiyu Pavilion. There lay a young woman dressed in the attire of a fifth-ranking court maid, her eyes wide open but lifeless. A gash had been cut across her neck, blood still flowing from the wound and soaking her court dress. However, instead of court boots, she wore a pair of ordinary cotton shoes.
She wasn’t Jiang Shanshan. At best, she was a woman who bore a strong resemblance to Jiang Shanshan and wore court attire. As for why her voice sounded so similar, in this vast capital city, it wouldn’t be difficult to find a skilled performer proficient in mimicry.
In the dimly lit Suiyu Pavilion, with their similar figures and attire, she could have walked in unnoticed, her voice sounding just like Jiang Shanshan’s. Even the person hiding in the dark wouldn’t easily detect anything amiss.
Yuwen Chu took a deep breath, while Fu Mingzheng felt some regret. They had underestimated Jiang Shanshan. When they were doing those things here earlier, Jiang Shanshan must have been lurking in the shadows, waiting and watching. It made sense; a woman as cunning and vicious as her wouldn’t easily let herself be caught by others.
If Yuwen Chu had really been interested, she would have come out to negotiate with him after he rejected her request to kiss him. But Yuwen Chu had ill intentions from the start; he attacked her when she made her move, and then Fu Mingzheng appeared and slit the decoy’s throat. In such a situation, Jiang Shanshan would definitely not show up again.
“What kind of upbringing did she have? The Marquis of Changxing couldn’t have raised such a daughter, could he?” Fu Mingzheng was genuinely curious. He had never seen such a cunning and vicious woman before, who could endure pain, employ various cunning techniques, and had rich experience in dealing with enemies.
Previously, Mingzhu had been able to defeat her in the dispute over the glass and soap because of her family’s influence. Her victory in the battle of the drip dew pot was due to catching the other party off guard. She managed to injure her with a sleeve arrow because Jiang Shanshan underestimated Mingzhu. When facing Yuwen Chu, she had made truly thorough preparations.
She was terrifying.
Yuwen Chu also felt some fear. Fortunately, he had never thought of bringing Jiang Shanshan into his mansion; otherwise, Mingzhu and her son would have been harmed sooner or later. She was like a poisonous snake, sending shivers down one’s spine. “She’s skilled, and I can assure you, the Marquis of Changxing never hired a martial arts instructor for her.”
“Could she have been replaced midway?” Fu Mingzheng suddenly had a strange idea, thinking that this was the only explanation. He gestured and said, “I heard from our family’s master that there are people in the martial world who make skin masks…”
Yuwen Chu shook his head. “No, it’s her, just like that.” After pondering for a moment, he whispered in a voice that only he and Fu Mingzheng could hear, “Perhaps, as Mingzhu said, she obtained a miraculous book, and then, being clever and diligent, ambitious, she became like this.”
Both of them found this explanation relatively acceptable.
Fu Mingzheng asked, “Then why did she keep pestering you? Is she really so infatuated with you? I don’t believe it.”
Yuwen Chu originally wanted to joke with him about his boundless charm, but the thought of being targeted by someone like Jiang Shanshan was too disgusting. He said impatiently, “How would I know!”
Jing Song entered and whispered, “Your Highness, there are water stains on the base of the pillar under the window. Someone must have hidden in the water, eavesdropped on the situation here, and then escaped underwater. They’re searching around the lotus pond, but there’s not much time left due to the commotion.”
Wow, she can even dive!
Fu Mingzheng couldn’t help but be amazed. What exactly was Jiang Shanshan made of? Why did he feel so eerie about her? Not to mention she’s not just any lady; even those specially trained guards wouldn’t be as proficient in all forms of martial arts as she is. He glanced at Yuwen Chu darkly, thinking to himself that this guy probably regrets abandoning such a monstrous woman and marrying Fu Mingzhu, who is dumb, lazy, and unreasonable.
“Search as thoroughly as possible. Kill her if found.” The incident had already occurred, and regret or blaming anyone would be futile. Yuwen Chu had calmed down by now, but he suddenly noticed Fu Mingzheng’s malicious gaze and felt very annoyed. He turned and walked out without saying a word.
Fu Mingzheng scratched his nose and gestured for the guards behind him to dispose of the unnamed female corpse on the ground.
At the same time, Jiang Shanshan shivered as she crawled into the warm pavilion across the lotus pond. She was freezing, especially the wound on her foot was hurting badly. After enjoying so many years of comfort, it had been too long since she had done such things, and her equipment was not complete. She couldn’t do things as efficiently as before. Otherwise, she would have shot Fu Mingzhu dead with a single shot, preferably turning her into a honeycomb with a shotgun to vent her hatred. She recalled her past glory, feeling unjust and resentful, and hated Yuwen Chu and Fu Mingzhu to her bones.
After a brief pause to recuperate, she prepared to leave, but suddenly heard a slight noise as the door of the pavilion was closed.
Yuwen You sat in the warm pavilion, looking down at Jiang Shanshan from above in the dim light.
Jiang Shanshan was wearing soaked clothes and her hair was dirty and wet. She was pinned down and couldn’t move at all, panic evident in her eyes, yet she forced herself to remain calm on her face. “I really didn’t expect to see Your Highness here. Why did you come here in the middle of the night instead of being with the county princess to consummate the marriage?”
Yuwen You stood up without saying a word, grabbed a long horse knife, its blade shining brightly, glinting with cold light under the lamp. He raised the horse knife high and mercilessly chopped down towards Jiang Shanshan’s legs with lightning speed.
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